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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28285944">Late-night Conversations</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatHotStuff/pseuds/ThatHotStuff'>ThatHotStuff</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Video Blogging RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, First Meetings, Late Night Conversations, Light Angst, M/M, Protect Sykkuno (Video Blogging RPF), Soft Sykkuno (Video Blogging RPF), Sweet</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 23:26:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,876</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28285944</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatHotStuff/pseuds/ThatHotStuff</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>''Late-night conversations are always the ones that means the most. ''<br/>-------------------------------------------------------------<br/>Sykkuno meets a mysterious stranger one faithful night, and they form a strong connection.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Corpse Husband &amp; Sykkuno (Video Blogging RPF), Corpse Husband/Sykkuno (Video Blogging RPF)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>459</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. 1. Late-night conversations</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This ship is solely based on the online personality of Corpse and Sykkuno. Respect their privacy and do not push this ship on them please! If they express any discomfort with the content being described in this story, I will take it down instantly!</p><p>With that out of the way, enjoy reading! :D</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>‘’Well guys, that’s probably it for today! I hope you enjoyed this steam. I will try to jump on later tomorrow hopefully, if anybody is up for it! ‘’ The chat exploded with bold-lettered cheers, and a shy smile formed on Sykkuno’s lips. ‘’Thanks a bunch for being here. Bye guys! ‘’ He finished the stream. </p><p>As his computer was turned off, Sykkuno began to feel the loneliness of the apartment surrounding him. He still had to get used to the suffocating silence that came with living alone. For a small moment, he found himself wondering what it might have been like right now if he was still living with the guys at OfflineTV. The brunette lightly shook his head before he became too bummed out. You just still need to get used to the new apartment is all!</p><p>The city lights were dimly illuminating the window in his room. Sykkuno spared the window a glance, before deciding that maybe the fresh air might do him some good anyways. As he rose from the desk, he quickly glanced at his phone which read 03.04 AM. His eyes widened a little. He really had lost track of time lately.</p><p>Sykkuno dragged his feet over to the luminous window. He unlocked the hinges and let the windows burst open, taking in the fresh icy air of midnight. Lazily, he leaned against the frame and allowed his eyes to flutter closed. The late buzzing of the street underneath him hummed playfully in his ears, and he felt himself strum along to the tune he imagined was playing.</p><p>The brunette’s nostrils were just about to breathe in another deep portion of the refreshing brisk night-air. However, Sykkuno abruptly found himself becoming choked in a stream of harsh smoke instead. Instantly his eyes widened, and he burst into a hysterical coughing fit.<br/>
’’Shit! Sorry, I didn’t think anyone would be up at this hour. Fuck. ‘’ Sykkuno almost jumped at the sound of a deep smooth voice underneath his window. He poked his head out and looked down to the apartment underneath his. He tilted his head slightly in curiosity as a shadow frantically ran a cigarette against the bricks of the building. The cigarette’s light faded soon after. Sykkuno narrowed his eyes as he tried to make out the mysterious figure sitting in the window. Unfortunately, the only thing visibly was a dark silhouette.</p><p>‘’Oh- umm- no worries! ‘’ Sykkuno stuttered out as he realized the guy was most likely waiting for a response. The brunette was relieved the other could not make out his blush in the darkness. Embarrassed, he held a hand in front of his mouth, as Sykkuno fought out a better response.</p><p>‘’Uhhh, I guess, I-it is kind of strange to be awake right now… ‘’ He let out a weak laugh to ease the tension that had built up in his shoulders. The laugh, however, quickly faded, and the brunette was once more left to a suffocating silence.</p><p>He focused on the frame of the apartment underneath him again. Maybe the figure had thought Sykkuno was acting so awkward, that he had decided to leave out of embarrassment? However, Sykkuno could still make out the mysterious man sitting in the window. His leg was dangling lazily against the ceiling. The brunette furiously searched through his thoughts to come up with anything to say. Hopefully, something to ease up the uncomfortable silence that had emerged between the two.</p><p>‘’So uhhh- what’s been keeping you up all night? L-late night work? ‘’ Sykkuno wanted to facepalm himself so badly. Was that really his best attempt at starting a conversation? He wouldn’t want to respond to himself either! However, a huge wave of relief washed over him, as the low voice from earlier filled his ears.</p><p>‘’Yeah, I guess you could say that. I was just listening to some tracks… I make music sometimes. ‘’ The lump stuck in the brunette’s throat eased up. It made sense, the guy would be a musician. He had a mesmerizing voice, Sykkuno thought.</p><p>The brunette was so eager about the beginning conversation that the words had left his lips before he had even properly processed them: ‘’Oh… Oh! You must be the guy I can hear screaming sometimes then! ‘’ The complete stillness that followed afterwards was a terrible sign that Sykkuno had just screwed up.</p><p>‘’Wait- oops, that came out weird. I-I don’t like- try to listen through the floor or anything… I just h-happen to hear it sometimes, accidentally of course! Uhhh I should probably stop t-talking now… ‘’ He stuttered the apology out forcibly, but the lump in his throat nearly made it impossible to. Sykkuno’s face flushed a deep rose color as his palms began turning sweaty. </p><p>However, all the panic seemed to wash away, as a soft chuckle broke through his helical thoughts. ‘’No, it’s okay. Your voice is kinda soothing to be honest. I hope my screaming hasn’t disturbed you… ‘’</p><p>The voice sounded hesitant at first, as if he were unsure about whether to continue or not. It made Sykkuno’s lips turn up in a shy smile. Maybe this meant that the voice was just as nervous about talking to Sykkuno as Sykkuno had been talking to the voice.</p><p>‘’No, it’s nice actually. I d-don’t really talk t-too much with other p-people, so it’s nice to listen to something, instead of silence all the tim- ‘’ Sykkuno was cut off by the gravelly voice that suddenly came off in a distressed tone.</p><p>‘’Fuck- but you probably get a headache from the constant bass track I have playin- ‘’</p><p>‘’No, not at all! I a-actually play some bass myself! Not l-like computer bass, but uhhh guitar bass? I-It’s still a bass, right? ‘’ Sykkuno tried to form a somewhat understandable sentence, but it all came out as a messy stutter. He hid his face in his hands, his cheeks burning. Oh, the brunette was really making a fool out of himself, wasn’t he?</p><p>‘’Yeah. Wow, that’s sick. You should play something. ‘’ Sykkuno perked up his head at the response, some of the color draining from his face. He couldn’t make out whether the guy was messing with him or not.</p><p>‘’Oh, uhhh like in r-right now? ‘’ he asked with wide eyes. Sykkuno unconsciously raised his hand to scratch his neck. He could already feel his hands shaking at the mere thought of playing for someone, let alone a stranger! Oh Jesus, what have I gotten myself into? Oh Jesus-</p><p>The voice did not seem to linger on the wobbliness or stutter in Sykkuno’s voice, but simply responded with a sincere: ‘’Yeah. ‘’</p><p>The brunette was staring wide-eyed at the shadow underneath him, waiting for a punchline that never came. Sykkuno began tugging on the hem of his collar, and his mind raced between a thousand different excuses: ‘’Uhhh- but then I’ll have to p-plug it in, and ehhh- my fingers are p-probably shaking. It’s not really that impressive, I’m sure your bass tracks are- ‘’</p><p>‘’Don’t worry too much. I think you'll nail it. ‘’ Sykkuno’s eyes did not miss how the figure seemed to shift for a moment, as if the guy was making himself comfortable in the window. The brunette let his eyes flutter closed, as he huffed out a long sigh. Alright, he could do this.</p><p>‘’O-Oh ok, I’ll try to uhhh- move the speaker closer to the w-window, so you can h-hear properly… ‘’ Sykkuno’s voice trailed off. He was lingering absently in the window frame for a few seconds, the sound of his own rapid heartbeat drumming heavily in his ears. Sykkuno promptly shook his head and pulled himself away from the window. With hasty steps, the brunette sped towards the steel blue bass hanging on his bedroom wall before he would change his mind again.</p><p>Sykkuno carefully grabbed the instrument from the wall and held it protectively in his right hand. He then picked up the handle of his small transportable speaker in his other hand. The brunette looked between the two and offered himself an approving nod. That should be it.</p><p>He made his way over to the window again. Sykkuno placed down the speaker on the window frame to make sure the shadow would be able to hear everything clearly. He took his time connecting the speaker to the bass, adjusting the sound to be as perfect as possible. At last, Sykkuno had everything set up and pulled the strap of the bass over his head, as he held onto the neck of the instrument. With shaking hands, he let his thumb slide across the E-string of the bass guitar. However, his jaw clenched tightly as an earsplitting tone erupted from the instrument in his hands. Oh Jesus, this was a bad idea. His palms had turned incredibly sweaty in the meantime, and the brunette’s hand had difficulty staying put on the frets.</p><p>However, as Sykkuno’s eyes trailed down to the shadow waiting patiently in the window, he felt himself untense. He let his eyes close and took a few wavering breaths. The guy must have sensed the brunette’s anxiety, because soon he could hear low soothing encouragements of ‘Just take your time‘ and ‘It’s okay.’ Though the shadow was not able to see it, Sykkuno softly nodded his head along with his words.</p><p>Once more, he let his thumb slide against the E-string. This time, the bass responded with a deep rumbling tone as previously desired. Sykkuno felt the constriction in his chest vanish slowly and was instead replaced with a proud flutter. The brunette quickly brainstormed through the most recognizable music tracks he had learned throughout the years and eventually settled on a classic: Queen’s ‘’Another One Bites The Dust’’, because who could possibly hate that one?</p><p>From the first slide of his fingers, Sykkuno instantly fell into the well-known rhythm of the familiar bass line. He found himself humming along with each tune, as his foot tapped along to the beat. For a moment, the brunette seemed to forget everything about the special guest that was listening in on his ‘’mini’’-concert. Right now all that existed was him and the vibrant tune of the bass solo. The brunette soon ended the track with a short freestyle piece he figured would fit the song’s ending. Immediately an excited pair of handclaps echoed through the darkness.</p><p>‘’Wow, that was sick. ‘’ The voice sounded genuinely impressed. Sykkuno felt his cheeks warm lightly at the sincerity in the stranger’s tone. It made the brunette’s stomach buzz in a pleasant way.</p><p>Sykkuno scratched his neck and asked falteringly: ‘’Y-you really think so? I haven’t had that much time to practice lately, and I’m not- ‘’</p><p>‘’Nah you’re good. I fuck with it. ‘’ Sykkuno brought up a hand to cover his mouth, suffocating the surprised noise leaving his lips. He was at a complete loss for words.</p><p>‘’H-huh? ‘’ Forcibly the brunette tried to gulp down the lump in his throat in a pity attempt to make his voice return. However, all that came out was still only a choked croaking stutter.</p><p>Sykkuno felt his knees turn weak as the amused laugh from earlier filled out the silence. He noticed the figure bubbling over with laughter, as if he were clutching his stomach. Some of the color returned to Sykkuno’s face, as he began chuckling along as well. Soon enough the guy took a deep breath and finally explained: ‘’It’s just a phrase I use. Don’t worry too much about it. ‘’</p><p>The mellow tenderness that had crept into the stranger’s voice had Sykkuno’s eyes soften and his lips display a gentle smile. Suddenly he couldn't care less how foolish he must have portrayed himself, if only it meant he would get to hear that laugh again.</p><p>The two of them soon fell into a comfortable silence, as they glanced at the city before them. Neither of the two bothered to attempt any small-talk, afraid of destroying the soothing atmosphere that had come to surround them. Solely feeling the presence from the other had become much more intimate than any attempt at conversation could possibly make up for. The warm lights of the streets made everything glow up so mellowly in the otherwise pitch darkness. It was beautiful to say the least and caused an appreciative smile to form on Sykkuno’s face. Sykkuno’s eyes had closed, and a pleased yawn soon brushed past his lips. The voice must have heard as well, because suddenly it spoke up.</p><p>‘’You should go to bed. You sound tired. ‘’ The voice had taken on a distant tone. Sykkuno did not miss the heavy sigh that soon drowned in the silence. The brunette could have sworn the sigh had almost sounded… disappointed?</p><p>‘’Y-yeah, you’re probably also really tired… I’m sorry, if I k-kept you up, I normally don’t talk t-this much and uhhh… ‘’ Sykkuno had lost track of time entirely. The fact that the stranger might want some well-deserved rest himself had completely slipped his mind. Perhaps he had been too distracted by the appease of the other’s company.</p><p>The brunette scratched the back of his neck, as his foot lightly kicked against the wall before him. He was ready to stutter out a thousand different excuses for keeping the poor guy up so late. However before Sykkuno even had the chance, the mysterious stranger muttered something almost inaudible:</p><p>‘’I don’t tend to sleep a lot. I-… I have this condition. ‘’ The voice had become cold and secluded. Sykkuno managed to catch how the figure shifted to cross his arms. The action made Sykkuno squirm on the spot, as a tight knot formed in his stomach. Had he said something to upset the guy?</p><p>‘’O-oh, so you don’t feel tired right now? At all? ‘’ Sykkuno ignored the huge lump that had built in his throat and fought out the question. A heavy piercing silence fell upon them, and Sykkuno would have thought the shadow had finally left him to his own, had it not been for the almost unnoticeable shrug the shadow made.<br/>
The gesture caused Sykkuno to let out a weighted sigh. He couldn’t help but feel empathy for the mysterious stranger. His shrunken crouched figure seemed so hopeless, as it sat there alone in the window frame. The brunette could not even blame him. It must become awful lonely at these hours, where everyone else has fallen into a peaceful slumber, but you’re unable to. A sudden idea leapt into Sykkuno’s mind.</p><p>‘’Uhhh… I-I could stay up a couple of hours, if you like? A-and keep you company? ‘’ His voice was barely above a whisper, and the words all sounded so hesitant that Sykkuno wouldn’t have thought the stranger would have been able to hear anything, had it not been for the deep-toned response that followed.</p><p>‘’You don’t have to. I shouldn’t have burdened you with that anyways. ‘’ Sykkuno’s eyes stared widely at the figure in the window, who had begun to shift, as if to turn away from him and leave.</p><p>The brunette felt his whole body overflow with a sudden sharp panic, and his mouth began blurting out words before he even was aware of it. ‘’N-No it’s fine really! Look, I will go and uhhh… make some black tea right now, and then w-we can stay up and talk… ‘’</p><p>Before the stranger could protest any further, Sykkuno instantly spun around his heel and turned away from the window. He quickly made his way to the kitchen, where he had already prepared the kettle and tea bags. The brunette tended to have a craving for tea after streaming, so he always put it out on the counter beforehand. He set the kettle over and took out another ceramic cup from the cabinet. While the water was boiling, Sykkuno found himself jogging, actually jogging, back to his bedroom window. Maybe, maybe not, because the light clutch in his stomach was telling the brunette, he had been abandoned.</p><p>‘’I’m back! ‘’ Sykkuno announced in a sing-song voice. He felt his eyes glisten proudly as he caught sight of the silhouette sitting patiently in the window frame underneath him.</p><p>‘’You really shouldn’t feel- ‘’ The figure began guilty, but before he could finish his sentence, Sykkuno cut him off, an unmistakable pout present on his face. Sykkuno held a finger out in front of himself, as if the stranger was actually able to see this and would mute himself: ‘’Hush! Sir, no excus- ‘’</p><p>‘’Corpse. ‘’</p><p>‘’H-huh? ‘’ Sykkuno raised an eyebrow. His expression appeared completely adrift.</p><p>‘’You can call me Corpse. ‘’ The stranger announced once more, and this time clearly emphasizing the words. Sykkuno gave a slight flinch, as he brought himself back to reality.</p><p>‘’O-Oh! ‘’ The brunette’s jaw had dropped, his mouth hanging wide agape. He found himself speechless, as he tried to process this new information. The shadow must have found his stunned silence amusing, because the silhouette began doing small bounces, before a quiet amorous laugh leapt from him.</p><p>‘’Unless you want to call me sir, ‘’ the gu- Corpse purred jokingly. Sykkuno could clearly picture the teasing smirk that was playing on the guy’s lips right now. The brunette’s cheeks were burning red, and he immediately turned away from the window, as if Corpse were able to recognize his blushing in the dark.</p><p>‘’H-ha, no I like Corpse actually! It’s really unique and uhhh- mysterious? ‘’ This had simply become yet another one of the thousands of instances tonight where Sykkuno wanted to hide his face in his hands and just disappear off the planet. However, Corpse did not seem to mind the social awkwardness that was Sykkuno, and simply took the brunette’s terrible attempt of a compliment as sincere</p><p>‘’Thanks. I assume you have a name as well? ‘’ Oh, right. People had names. And it was normal to tell your own name, if people introduced themselves to you. But… Sykkuno didn’t have a name even close to being something as impressive as “Corpse.” Oh Jesus.</p><p>‘’Oh oops- My bad, I totally f-forgot to t-tell you, didn’t I? Well, my n-name is Sykkuno. I know, it’s not a cool and mysterious name like yours, but I- ‘’</p><p>‘’Sykkuno… I fuck with it. It’s a great name. ‘’ Sykkuno almost forgot everything about the curse phrase, as his cheeks immediately went in flames. The brunette had never really been fond of his own name, but the way Corpse made the name roll so smoothly off his lips instantly had Sykkuno’s knees turn wobbly.</p><p>‘’T-thanks, you really think so? ‘’ Unconsciously, Sykkuno brought up a hand to hide his flattered smile.</p><p>Suddenly the sound of boiling water brought Sykkuno back to what he had originally been doing. His eyes widened at the realization.</p><p>‘’Oh no, I forgot the tea! I will be right back! ‘’ He shrieked and sprinted to the kitchen to evaluate the damage. He let out a sigh of relief, as the kitchen didn’t seem to be destroyed… at least not any more than usual. Sykkuno hurried over to the cloud of light fog that had gathered around the steaming kettle. Hastily, he took off the boiling water from the stove and divided the hot liquid between the two cups placed on the counter. The brunette lightly bit down on his bottom lip, as he focused to not spill a single drop.</p><p>He returned the kettle to its place on the turned-off stove before brushing away the sweat that had formed on his forehead as a form of victory gesture. Sykkuno quickly added the black teabags to the water before he could forget, and watched as the water began to gather a sweet fragrant aroma and a warm crimson color.<br/>
With a satisfied smile, he grabbed the two teacups off the counter and made his way back to Corpse. If he walked a little quicker than necessary, and therefore spilled some of the hot tea onto his green sweater, it was nobody’s business, but his own.</p><p>‘’I brought you a cup as well- uhhh I don’t even know if tea’s your thing, but I thought you m-might a-appreciate the gesture anyways s-so- ‘’ Sykkuno resisted the urge to scratch his neck and instead lowered his gaze. As he did so, his eyes trailed down to the two cups of steaming black teas in his hands. His face immediately lit up again.</p><p>‘’L-look! I even made this smart loop, so I could hand it down to you! ‘’ he beamed, as he placed the tea in the window frame carefully. The brunette then rushed over to his desk, where he had abandoned his, if he did say so himself, ‘’genius’’ idea. On the desk laid a loop crafted from a piece of coarse rope. Sykkuno’s hands wrapped around the rope in one smooth motion, and he quickly made his way back to the window. The huge grin on Sykkuno’s mouth would not seem to fade as he tied several knots of the loop around one of the ceramic cups. The brunette then continued to place a durable waterproof lid on the mug and could hardly contain his giddiness as he took a step back to appreciate the crazy invention.  </p><p>Carefully, the brunette took the rope in his hand and let the cup linger in the air for a moment to make sure everything was going according to plan. He gently led the mug outside of the window frame and began to lower it down with utter carefulness. He swallowed down the broad lump that was stuck in his throat and sent a silent prayer that the plan would actually work somewhat flawlessly. The lid seemed to do its job at keeping the liquid contained, so that was a relief, Sykkuno thought to himself.</p><p>Sykkuno jumped as something was tugging on the other end of the cord. He managed to suppress the very high-pitched yelp that had been threatening to erupt from his mouth. However, as the brunette stared down into the pitch blackness underneath him, he managed to make out a pair of pale hands. The fingers were wrapped around the ceramic cup, and they almost seemed to shine against the flicker of the streetlights. He couldn’t help but wonder if maybe Corpse was wearing jewelry?</p><p>Another tug of the cord brought Sykkuno back to the present. He blinked lightly a few times, before he realized the tug must have been a cue to raise the rope again. So, he did, and as expected the rope came back empty, the cup from earlier nowhere to be found. Sykkuno could not help but let out a small bouncy dance in victory, as he waved frantically with his hands. In the middle of the brunette’s silent celebration, Corpse’s deep voice filled up the darkness: ‘’Thank you, Sykkuno. Fuck. Has anyone ever told you how great you are? ‘’</p><p>Sykkuno’s cheeks felt as though they had been lit on fire. The brunette unconsciously fumbled with the hem of his collar, as he regained the ability to speak: ‘’Oh, uhh… I-I’m really not all t-that great. I’m sure, there are a lot of people out there, who- ’’</p><p>‘’I like you Sykkuno. ‘’ The strong sincerity in those four simple words made Sykkuno’s stomach flutter furiously.</p><p>‘’Well, I like you too Corpse! ‘’ He chirped – and he meant it. His chocolate eyes softened at the flustered chuckle that burst from the darkness. He stared at the silhouette from the window in pure anticipation, as Corpse brought up the cup to his mouth and took a long sip of the black tea. The tea Sykkuno had made specially for him.</p><p>Corpse must have felt Sykkuno’s anticipation because the figure looked up in Sykkuno’s direction. One pair of alluring hazel eyes locked themselves onto Sykkuno’s chocolate ones. The brunette was absolutely mesmerized as the hazel orbs seemed to glisten in the dark. His cheeks were probably glowing red right now, but somehow Sykkuno was too amazed to look away.</p><p>‘’It tastes perfect, Sykkuno. You did a good job. ‘’ The brunette saw an appreciative smile spread on the other’s face, causing his own lips to turn into a bright one of his own.</p><p>‘’Well, I’m glad to hear that! ‘’ Sykkuno beamed, his voice practically bouncing with cheer. This caused Corpse to let out a gentle chuckle, his smile widening as well.<br/>
And so, the two would once more fall into a profound conversation. Their united laughter would lighten up the darkness of the night surrounding them. Their gaze would never break apart from each other. They both were too captivated by the other’s gleaming eyes, and the feeling of comfort it would bring them. It was one of those late-night conversations that you would never mind losing sleep over.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So this is my first ao3 work in this tag, and I would really appreciate hearing your guys' opinion of it. Should I begin writing more with these two? I am also considering making this a three-part chapter, so if you would like a continuation of this story, do let me know!</p><p>A huge thanks to @Syphus, who helped me out with grammar and everything &lt;3 It really helped to fix some of my silly writing mistakes.</p><p>As always comments and kudos mean everything to a writer, so don't hesitate to leave one! :D<br/>- ThatHotStuff</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Midday Exchanges</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Better late than never right?... Right?<br/>Okay I know it's been 3 months which isn't really ideal, and I wish I could fucking tell you guys that I will update much more frequently but probably not, since exams are coming up, I'm having surgery and all kinds of shit. But I promise every single one of you, I will finish this story and write it to the best of my abilities!</p><p>Kudos and comments are always appreciated, they mean the fucking world to me. As always thanks to the best person I know @Petra4President for beta'ing this chapter and being the most supportive friend I've got!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sykkuno couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this overjoyed. Honestly, not much was different however, one small change in the brunette’s daily routine had brought him more excitement than he’d felt in a long time. Suddenly, Sykkuno would find himself jumping out of bed in the morning, humming along to cheerful tunes in the shower, and even going as far as to occasionally offer the strangers on the street a shy smile. It truly amazed Sykkuno how one person could cause such a huge change in someone. And that person was Corpse. </p><p>The late-night conversations had become a sort of daily ritual between them, and even though it meant that Sykkuno had to drink a bit more coffee than usual to keep himself awake during the day, he wouldn’t want to change it for the world. The presence of Corpse and the security of his smooth voice had become Sykkuno’s ‘’happy place.’’ It would never fail to make him smile on even the cloudiest of days.</p><p>Last night, the two had discussed must-watch series on Netflix to which Corpse had recommended a new thriller anime for Sykkuno to watch. So, that was what he found himself doing at the moment. Wrapped up in a soft fleece blanket, the brunette sank deeper into the silky cushions of the couch. The heat of the cooked noodles cup in his hand only added to the cozy atmosphere as Sykkuno’s eyes lazily followed the protagonist on the television screen.</p><p>Suddenly, the ring of the doorbell filled the apartment, causing Sykkuno’s body to jump in his seat. A faint rose blush crept onto the brunette’s cheeks. He hadn’t even realized that he had drifted off for a few seconds there. Sykkuno’s head perked up as his eyes wandered to the entryway. He reached out for the remote to pause the television. He wasn’t expecting anyone. It had to have been some silly accident.</p><p>The sound of the doorbell echoed through the silent room once more. Sykkuno furrowed his eyebrows, reaching out and grabbing his phone to check for any new notifications. However, the phone screen revealed nothing but the usual lock-screen of a happy Bimbus, his dog, staring back at him with a beaming expression.</p><p>With a long sigh, Sykkuno unrolled himself from the snug blanket and dragged his body off the couch. The brunette made his way to the entryway, attempting to make as little noise as possible. Perhaps the stranger had assumed no one was home and therefore, left. The brunette reached out for the doorknob but hesitated. He let his hand linger there for a few minutes while gathering the courage to greet whoever was hiding behind the door with a friendly smile. Finally, he took in a deep, sharp breath and pulled the door open.</p><p>However, Sykkuno’s forced smile dropped immediately and was instead replaced with a small frown. He let the door slide wide open and peaked his head out into the hallway with furrowed eyebrows. Much to Sykkuno’s surprise, the hallway was completely dead, not even the sound of footsteps could be heard. The brunette kept turning his head left and right as if someone would suddenly appear out of thin air but nothing happened.</p><p>Maybe Sykkuno had just gotten a bit carried away with the thriller and was simply imagining this whole thing. Perhaps there hadn’t been any ringing on the doorbell after all. He chuckled weakly in an attempt to calm his nerves as he tried to shake the oddity of the situation off. However, just as the brunette was about to close the door and return inside, he was caught off-guard as his foot gently kicked at something in front of his doormat. With a small shriek, his eyes darted to the ground.</p><p>‘’Huh? ‘’ Sykkuno raised an eyebrow at the sight of something green in front of his feet. ‘The thing’ seemed to have been sitting carefully on his doormat, several layers of rose-colored paper wrapped around its frame to make sure nothing would end up broken. It became obvious to the brunette that this was not simply something that had been dropped on the way or placed there accidentally.</p><p>As Sykkuno crouched down to properly examine the object in his hands, he was quickly able to identify what it was. It was a blue-green pot containing a house plant. Sykkuno’s eyes grew soft, as he turned the pot in his hand, admiring the big heart-shaped leaves of the flower. The brunette’s fingers gently brushed against a piece of paper left on the side of the pot, and the realization caused his heart to skip a beat. He had been left a note. Delicately, he brought the paper up to his face to properly study it.</p><p>As he opened the folded sheet, Sykkuno was met with the messiest handwriting he had ever seen in his entire life. Half of the words seemed to blur together and it required the man’s full concentration to properly make out the message. The brunette’s eyes kept locking onto the name of the sender in a trance, feeling his heart lurch for each letter he read:</p><p> </p><p>Hey, I noticed you always have plants in your window so I saw this today and thought of you.<br/>
- Corpse :)</p><p> </p><p>Sykkuno’s face instantly melted into a soft expression. He gently let his fingers run over the name, re-reading each messy letter over and over again in his head. This must mean Corpse had been the one standing outside his apartment door only minutes ago. Sykkuno couldn’t explain why the thought both made his chest flutter and his stomach drop at the same time.</p><p>With sweaty palms, Sykkuno held the plant protectively against his chest as he carried the greenery with him inside the apartment. With the most care he’d ever handled anything before, the brunette gently closed the apartment door with his shoulder. Sykkuno would never forgive himself if he acted reckless and accidentally dropped Corpse’s gift.</p><p>His gaze wandered around the apartment as he tried to figure out the perfect spot for the gift. Soon enough though, they landed on the abandoned blanket and remote on the couch, and Sykkuno’s eyes gleamed in a strong twinkle at the idea he had gotten. Before he knew it, he was once more being absorbed by the comfort of the couch and his blanket. The anime was getting to the climax of the story, and the brunette’s wide eyes were glued to the screen, tense with pure anticipation. Now and then, his eyes would trail down to steal a glance of the heart-leaf pot plant sitting next to him on the couch.</p><p>People would probably call Sykkuno silly, maybe even crazy, for watching television with a plant. And it wasn’t like he thought a plant was even capable of watching a tv-show. The truth was, laying here on the couch with this gift by his side made the brunette feel just that closer to Corpse. It felt like he was now able to have just a little piece of Corpse in his apartment. A warm flutter expanded deep in his stomach. Suddenly, the apartment didn’t feel as lonely anymore.</p><p>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>The sound of honking cars, busy footsteps, and passerby’s chit-chatting bombarded Sykkuno’s ears as he hurried down the street to his apartment block.</p><p>He enjoyed the feeling of disappearing in all the frenzy of the city. It was so easy to blend in with the crowd of passing people and become invisible from the human eye entirely. Sykkuno had never been a fan of attention after all. He had always made himself seem small and insignificant to avoid the looks from others at all cost. To his luck, most of the time, it worked, and the man found himself able to travel from work to home without needing to exchange any words.</p><p>As Sykkuno rounded the corner of the street, the brunette finally gained the courage to rip his gaze away from his shoes. The sight of the worn, red-brick building caused Sykkuno’s whole body to untense, a wave of relief washing over him. Finally, he had made it home. He was fortunate enough to live on one of the less busy streets, providing him enough room to stop and breathe for a few minutes without receiving too many ‘get out of my ways’ and scolding side-eyes. However, the bustling of the city was completely drowned out from his consciousness when his eyes fell on one specific apartment window.</p><p>Pitch-black blinds stared back at Sykkuno, cloaking any indications of life or activity from the inside entirely. The sight made Sykkuno’s chest tighten faintly. Though he hadn’t expected the blinds to be unfolded, the vision of the silent apartment always managed to fill him with a hint of disappointment. Even though Corpse had confessed to being mostly asleep during the day hours, he had also admitted to occasionally seeing Sykkuno return from work. Just the mere thought of it already caused the brunette’s cheeks to grow hot.</p><p>Sykkuno was well-aware that Corpse knew what his appearance looked like. The brunette had confessed to occasionally streaming video games on Twitch. With a unique name like Sykkuno, it hadn’t taken Corpse a lot of searching to dig out his channel. The brunette had tried to brush it off as ‘a silly way to make time pass’ and ‘nothing special,’ however, Corpse had been extremely eager to learn more about Sykkuno’s streamer life. Throughout the whole conversation, Sykkuno felt himself growing taller and taller for each second, a weird sense of proudness expanding in his chest. He had never really spoken openly about his streaming life, believing it to be something people would make fun of him for. However, after the thrilled pep-talk from Corpse, the brunette found himself smiling more unfiltered, cracking a few more jokes than usual, and was stuttering less between each sentence on stream. The occasional comments from ‘CorpseyCat11223’ with an encouraging ‘:)’ only added to Sykkuno’s rising confidence.</p><p>The fact that Corpse knew Sykkuno’s identity often made the brunette wonder whether he had passed by Corpse at one point without even realizing it. Sometimes, he even found himself inspecting the shadows of walking people in hope of seeing any resemblance to Corpse’s silhouette. It also made him wonder if he’d be able to find Corpse in a crowd. However, truth be told, Sykkuno couldn’t care less what the mysterious man looked like. He already knew that no matter what, Corpse would always be perfect in his eyes.</p><p>Sykkuno had brought it up during one of their nightly conversations once. Corpse had only responded with a shrug at first. When he felt the brunette’s gaze lingering on him with a twinkling intensity, the man let out a sigh and confessed that perhaps they had bumped into each other one or two times. The answer caused Sykkuno’s stomach to perform crazy flips and the thought seemed impossible for him to wrap his head. Unlike Sykkuno, Corpse had grown quiet now staring absently out the window. The brunette’s smile slowly drained from his face. His voice had taken on a small tone as he had asked what was wrong. Sykkuno didn’t miss the heavy sigh that escaped Corpse. The next 10 minutes were spent with Corpse opening up about his wrecked self-image and social anxiety. It wasn’t because the conversation lasted for that long, and it mostly consisted of faint mumbling as well as pauses to catch his breath. Still, Sykkuno found himself growing more nauseous for each second and he swallowed the hefty lump that had built up in his throat. At that moment, the brunette wanted nothing more than to scoop Corpse into a soothing embrace and never let him go. No person deserved to feel that way, especially not someone as amazing as Corpse.</p><p>Sykkuno was pulled out of his daydreaming as he noticed a faint shift from the black blinds. He stared wide-eyed at the window, refusing to believe his own eyes. It had probably all been a part of his imagination. However, suddenly, the corner of the blinds was pushed aside to reveal a pale hand. Sykkuno felt his breath get caught in his throat, blinking rapidly to make sure that what was happening right now was, in fact, real. The hand made a faint gentle motion resembling a wave, and Sykkuno had to shake his head to pull himself together. In pure shock, Sykkuno raised his hand to offer a shy wave in return. The hand then retreated behind the blinds again, leaving the window empty once more.</p><p>Sykkuno felt a flutter of giddiness run through his body. He didn’t even bother to hide the wide smile that spread on his face promptly. As he continued his way into the building, the brunette’s body suddenly felt much lighter and the previous exhaustion from a long workday had completely vanished. He even found the confidence to hum a happy small tune under his breath while he fiddled with the keys to his apartment. He let the door slide open before disappearing behind it with a soft thump.</p><p>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Sykkuno let out a satisfied hum as he placed the last beverages in the kitchen fridge. The fridge had become stuffed with beer, different wine coolers, and cocktail mixes. He ran a hand through his slightly damp hair admiring the work he’d managed to get done. The brunette felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and hurriedly fished it out to see a notification from Rae on the lit-up screen.</p><p> </p><p>Rae:<br/>
We’ll be there in 15! Can’t wait to see you!</p><p> </p><p>A small smile crept its way onto Sykkuno’s lips as he placed the phone safely back in his pocket. He scanned the apartment once more to figure out if he had missed anything. When nothing, in particular, seemed to pop out, he placed his hands on his hips, satisfied with the result of his cleaning. The brunette gently moved from behind the kitchen counter and returned to the living room to wait for his friends. As Sykkuno sat on the couch with his hands on his knees, the man soon felt his eyes trail to the snacks on the coffee table before him. They seemed to call out his name, and even though there was no one there to prevent him from stealing some, Sykkuno’s eyes still looked from left to right guiltily. Soon, the temptation became too overwhelming and he reached out towards the glass bowl of skittles on the table.</p><p>Just as he’d stuffed his mouth with the sou,r fruity candy, the keen sound of the doorbell echoed through the apartment. Sykkuno jumped away from his place at the snack table. A faint blush quickly crept onto his cheeks much like a child being caught breaking their parent’s rule. He re-adjusted his baby blue hoodie in an attempt to regain his composure before standing up from the couch to go greet his guests. As he made the way to his apartment door, the doorbell continued to ring repeatedly in an almost aggressive tone. He couldn’t help but shake his head; Rae had never been the patient type anyway.</p><p>Sykkuno let the door glide open and immediately, a surprised shriek escaped the brunette as he found himself being attacked by the person in the hallway.</p><p>‘’Sykkuno! Wow, you look great!‘’ The ‘attacker’ had just turned out to be Rae pulling the brunette into a suffocating embrace. Sykkuno choked out a small squeak as he fought to keep just a small portion of air in his lungs. However, as the man met the bright expressions of his two closest friends, Rae and Toast, he quickly found his own heart melting in his chest. The sight of the duo, smiling widely here in the entrance to his new apartment, truly was a reminder of how much Sykkuno had missed their indispensable company.</p><p>‘’Hey, Kkuno! Thanks for inviting us.‘’ Toast offered Sykkuno an affectionate pat on the shoulder, not able to properly embrace his friend, as Rae still held him in a protective chain hold. Sykkuno offered a grateful beam in return, and even managed to briefly wheeze out a ‘’It’s g-good to see you guys‘’ through his compressed lungs.</p><p>When Rae finally let the frail brunette go, Sykkuno swore his ribs had become bruised. He took a few deep breaths as he finally felt the air return to his lungs. Rae was jumping giddily on the spot with a bright grin plastered on her face. Her excitement upon seeing him truly made Sykkuno realize how much time had passed since the trio had last hung out.</p><p>Sykkuno gently gestured for the two guests to come in, which they gladly accepted, instantly trotting inside the apartment. As the living room soon came into view, Rae let out an excited gasp gesturing to all the interior with frantic hand motions.</p><p> ‘’Wow! This looks so good! I love it!‘’ She exclaimed, sprinting across every corner of the apartment to study the interior closely. Toast nodded beside Sykkuno to acknowledge his agreement with Rae. Sykkuno scratched the back of his neck and shyly looked down at his feet, a sudden feeling of being overwhelmed overpowering him.</p><p>‘’T-Thank you, it’s really n-nothing special, I just-‘’ Sykkuno raised his hand to cover his flustered face, a habit that always re-surfaced when he found himself in the center of attention. However, much to his surprise, Rae aggressively slapped away the hand from his face. A small gasp escaped him as he stared wide-eyed at his friend.</p><p>‘’No no no! I’m not letting you brush it off like that! You did such a good job with the place!‘’ She eyed him sternly, the expression very similar to the one an adult scolding their child holds. The warm twinkle in her eye never vanished though, and she soon followed up her stoic face by placing a caring hand on the brunette’s shoulder.</p><p>‘’Yeah, Rae’s right. I see you haven’t lost your love for plants either.‘’ Toast grinned as he pointed towards all the different potted plants cramping the apartment. The realization induced a light rose-colored flush to appear on Sykkuno’s cheeks, and he offered a shrug to his friend in response. Perhaps he had gone a bit overboard with the plants…or, no, scratch that, you could never have too many plants.</p><p>As the two guests finished looking around the new apartment, Sykkuno invited them to make themselves comfortable on the couch. They both happily plumped down on the ocean-colored velour couch with a satisfied hum, letting themselves be absorbed by the soft cushions. The brunette shook his head at the sight, a light chuckle escaping him as he walked out in the kitchen to fetch them some refreshments.</p><p>For each time Sykkuno slid off the couch to fetch more drinks from the kitchen, he found that walking became more and more of a challenge. Soon, he was clinging to the kitchen counter for support, waiting for the blurry edges of his vision to vanish. The brunette tried to recall how they ended up becoming this badly drunk. However, he was only able to remember faint pictures of the past three hours which only a highlighted few seconds of what had gone down. As the spinning of his head slowly subdued a bit, Sykkuno was able to make out the chaos of bottles scattered across the whole kitchen. He blinked a few times, but the mess didn’t turn any less comprehensive.</p><p>The sight had Sykkuno wonder how things had managed to escalate into complete discord. Sykkuno was literally clinging to a counter as if his life depended on it while heavily trying to fight back the feeling of overwhelming nausea. Toast was cradled from left to right on the couch, the slur weighing heavily in his drunken laugh, as his eyes struggled to keep a proper focus on his phone screen. And Rae was… Wait, where was Rae?</p><p>Sykkuno turned his head frantically but no matter where he looked, there was no sight of Rae. It was as though she had completely sunken into the ground. The brunette raised an eyebrow. But…she had been sitting on the couch screaming at Toast just a few seconds ago.</p><p>He fought down the lump of alcohol nausea in his throat and finally let go of the counter to go find his vanished friend...which turned out to be no easy task. Sykkuno moved down the hall to the bathroom thinking his friend had perhaps gotten sick and needed to throw up.</p><p>Finally, standing outside the bathroom door, he leaned against it for a small moment. He held his stomach tightly as he struggled to fight down his sickness. The brunette took a deep breath to clear his head, feeling the black dots at the corner of his vision vanishing at last.</p><p>Gently, he knocked on the door and softly called out Rae’s name. Despite three attempts, he received no response, and slowly, his chest began tightening. As silent as possible, Sykkuno pulled down the door handle, peeking his head inside the bathroom from behind the door. </p><p>However, much to his surprise, the room was empty with no sign of any recent human activity. The brunette raised an eyebrow…where could she possibly have gone?</p><p>As if some sort of higher power had heard his question, Sykkuno was suddenly able to hear muffled shouts coming from his bedroom. The brunette’s head perked up, and he immediately retreated to the hall again. Hurriedly, he tip-toed to the opposite door leaning his ear against it. Yes, it was indeed Rae, and…she was talking to someone? Sykkuno furrowed his eyebrows, as his brain struggled to make sense of the situation.</p><p>Eventually, the shouting from the room grew louder and louder and the brunette decided to just open the door already. He knocked softly in a warning and opened the door silently. Stepping into the room, he immediately was met with an irritated Rae, her back turned to him.</p><p>‘’HEY! Are you that mysterious guy with the creepy name?!‘’ Sykkuno’s eyes widened as he noticed Rae’s frame hanging halfway out the window.</p><p>With a panicked shriek, he ran towards the window and pulled her back with a tug of her arm. He sighed in relief, ‘’Oh Jesus! Rae! O-Ok, I think that’s enough a-alcohol for you my f-friend…‘’</p><p>Rae shouted as she was pulled back. Immediately, she turned around to scowl at Sykkuno and forcefully pulled her arm back from the brunette’s shy grip. Sykkuno smiled apologetically and was ready to lead his drunk friend back to the living room when a familiar low voice suddenly rang from the window.</p><p>‘’Sykkuno?‘’ The soft tone in the man’s voice caused light flutters to expand in Sykkuno’s stomach. The brunette already found his tongue unwilling to function and he immediately brought his hand up to scratch his neck in a flustered habit.</p><p>‘’Oh, hi! C-Corpse!‘’ Rae visibly cringed at the small crack in Sykkuno’s words. The brunette felt her suspicious gaze on him, staring into his very soul. It was as if she already knew what was going on in Sykkuno’s head right now. The mere thought caused a flush to creep onto the man’s cheeks and he instantly brought up a hand to hide his face.</p><p>‘’Corpse? Are you a vampire-‘’ Sykkuno let out another loud yelp as his friend once more charged towards the direction of the window. The sharp motion caused the brunette’s sickness to fire up again and he bent over with his hands on his knees to prevent himself from throwing up.</p><p>‘’Jesus, Rae! P-Please he’s not-‘’ Even though Sykkuno was sending Rae the most miserable puppy eyes to ever be seen, Rae didn’t even offer him a small glance. Instead, she had her head stuck out the window fully concentrated on the apartment window beneath them.</p><p>‘’He talks a lot about you, you know?! Right Sykkuno? It’s really sweet, annoying sometimes, but still really sweet,‘’ Rae teased, the drunken slur heavy in her voice. Sykkuno had already buried his entire face in his hands by now. The color of his cheeks had turned into something very much resembling a tomato. Just as the brunette let himself think that things couldn’t possibly get worse now, the sound of faint footsteps could be heard coming from the hall.  The sound growing firmer and firmer with each step.</p><p>‘’What’s going o-‘’ The brunette was ready to lunge himself towards the door and slam it shut. The last thing he needed was for Toast to join in right now.</p><p>However, it was too late. The familiar face had already appeared in the doorway leaning against the doorframe to keep himself from swaying too much. Just as Sykkuno was about to come with some ridiculous excuse, Rae had turned her attention away from the window and now to the doorway instead. All color left the brunette’s face at her expression, and he tried not to stop the feeling of panic at the shit-eating grin playing on her lips.</p><p>‘’Sykkuno is trying to hide us from his boyfriend,‘’ Rae yell-whispered in the most teasing tone she could muster. Toast raised a skeptical eyebrow and his eyes were scanning the room as if trying to figure out who in the world Rae was referring to. With another fit of dramatic arm gestures, Rae pointed towards the window underneath them.</p><p>Toast furrowed his eyebrows and joined Rae by the window frame, his steps slow and intensely coordinated in his best attempt not to stumble on his way. As Toast stuck out his head through the window, Sykkuno didn’t miss how Rae was whispering something inaudible to the other man. Soon enough, they both turned around to face Sykkuno with the same mischievous smirk on their face and a dangerous glint in their eyes that instantly spelled out ‘trouble’ for Sykkuno.</p><p>‘’H-He’s not my…‘’ The brunette stuttered out as he tried to swallow the lump in his throat. Sykkuno rubbed his face in his hands to avoid meeting his two friends’ interrogating stares.</p><p>‘’Sure, Sykkuno. Whatever you say,‘’ Toast said, his voice laced with sarcasm. Their smirks grew even wider and Sykkuno felt himself squirm under their knowing gazes.</p><p>‘’Look, guys, why don’t you two go out into the kitchen, and I’ll be there in a few seconds.‘’ Before they could even begin to protest, Sykkuno was already shooing them out of the room forcefully. However, before Sykkuno could fully close the door on them, Toast put his foot in it, preventing Sykkuno from locking them out completely. The two friends once more stuck their heads inside the room with the same teasing smirks playing on their faces. The glint twinkling in the duo’s eyes already made the brunette want to run for the hills.</p><p>‘’Sure thing. We wouldn’t want to ruin your moment with Mr. Vampire over there anyway.‘’ Toast replied as Rae giggled beside him. Blinded by their inner satisfaction of Toast’s comment, Sykkuno managed to catch his friend off guard and hurriedly kicked his foot away from the doorway. This seemed to surprise the two who took an accidental step back, providing Sykkuno just enough space to slam the door close in front of their faces. Only when the brunette heard the confirming click of the lock did he let himself collapse against the door, his whole body finally letting go of its previous tension.</p><p>That seemed to be enough of a sign for the two to give up and instead retreat back into the living room. Sykkuno let out a relieved sigh as he heard the beginning sound of footsteps dragging down the hall. Before he fully turned away from the door, the brunette didn’t fail to hear Rae’s excited squeal saying: ‘’They are going to be such a cute couple!‘’</p><p>Sykkuno visibly cringed, clenching his teeth at Rae’s comment. Jesus, was he thankful that the door had been closed and muted the comment. ‘’S-Sorry about that.‘’</p><p>‘’So, you talk a lot about me, huh?‘’ The teasing tone in Corpse’s voice completely took the brunette by surprise, causing him to choke on his breath. Sykkuno fell into a sudden coughing fit and fought to regain his composure again.</p><p>‘’Oh, no, well I- Jesus, R-Rae did say that d-didn’t she?‘’ Sykkuno avoided looking out the window as if the frame would actually be able to judge him. He scratched the back of his neck, hoping the soothing touch would be able to ground him a little again.</p><p>A shrill laugh broke through the silence, and the brunette made a small jump in response. Sykkuno perked his head up…was that really Corpse? The man was wheezing as though he couldn’t properly breathe through his exploding fit of giggles. He wasn’t sure why, but the reaction caused his stomach to flutter gently. He felt himself stand a little taller as if he’d just grown a few centimeters right then and there. However, it ended way too soon when the mellow laughing became muted by, what Sykkuno believed to be, a hand, and soon, the unwieldy silence had returned between the two.</p><p>‘’Fuck, that probably made me seem like an asshole. I wasn’t trying to laugh at you.‘’ The slight guilt that had crept into Corpse’s tone caused Sykkuno’s whole body to shrink together again. The brunette already knew he was willing to make a fool of himself a thousand times if it meant he’d get to hear Corpse laugh like that again.</p><p>‘’No, no, no- it’s a-alright, I don’t mind it if it means I get to hear you laugh-‘’ The brunette’s eyes widened at the words he had just so carelessly blurted out. A sharp breath escaped the silhouette beneath his window and immediately, Sykkuno felt a wave of panic wash over him. ‘’O-Oh Jesus! I didn’t mean- uhhh- wow, I really am drunker than I first thought…‘’</p><p>‘’Don’t worry about it, Sy. I get what you were trying to say.‘’ The brunette perked his head up. A sudden cold distance had snuck into the man’s smooth voice. However, Sykkuno had become way too distracted by something else to even truly notice the change.</p><p>‘’S-Sy? I-Is that a nickname?‘’ Sykkuno felt his cheeks glow red as the endearment rolled off his tongue. He didn’t even think anyone had ever given him a real nickname before… he was always just Sykkuno.</p><p>‘’Fuck, I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking- Don’t worry, I’ll stop if it makes you uncomfortab-‘’ The man’s voice had grown little and his words kept getting stuck in his throat. Sykkuno felt a painful stab in his heart at the anxious change in Corpse’s voice. Without too much thought, he hastily interrupted Corpse to help pull the man out of his panic.</p><p>‘’NO! W-wait, uhhh- what I meant to say was- no, I really like that nickname actually…‘’ Sykkuno miserably brought his hands up to hide his face in a begging manner, as if it would show him mercy and shield him from the world. He had completely turned into the color of a tomato at this point and if Corpse would never want to talk to the awkward mess that was Sykkuno again, he had already accepted his fate.</p><p>‘’Nice, I’ll remember to use it.‘’ The distant tone had disappeared entirely, instead being replaced with a warm tone more earnest than anything Sykkuno had ever heard before. It reminded him of a lullaby song, like the ones he’d always hear when getting ready for bed.</p><p>‘’Holy shit, are they fucking trying to ravage your room or something?‘’ Sykkuno flinched as he was brought out of his day slumber. The brunette didn’t even realize that he had been leaning against the window frame with his eyes closed. He tried to convince himself that his sudden drowsiness hadn’t been due to the soothing tone in Corpse’s voice. No, definitely not.</p><p>Sykkuno perked his head in the direction of the door and let out an exhausted long sigh.</p><p>‘’Jesus, it does sound a bit crazy in there…I better uhhhh you know- g-go check on them…‘’ Sykkuno fiddled with his fingers, standing still at the window frame as if he didn’t really know whether he wanted to leave. It didn’t help that the silhouette in the window did not attempt to move either.</p><p>‘’Yeah…‘’ The way Corpse spoke had Sykkuno thinking that Corpse might not want him to leave either. That thought unconsciously caused a shy smile to sneak onto Sykkuno’s lips.</p><p>‘’I will- uhhh- I will see you tomorrow? Maybe? T-That is, if you still want to talk o-of course!‘’ Before Sykkuno could bring up his hand to hide his face again, the smooth gruff voice pulled the brunette out of his inner embarrassment.</p><p>‘’Always. Night, Sy.‘’ The nickname once more caused a small blush to paint Sykkuno’s cheeks and he held up his hand in front of his face as a half-hearted attempt to hide it.</p><p>‘’Yes, Sy, that’s me. Haha- goodnight.‘’ It took all the brunette’s willpower to close the window. Before he left the room, Sykkuno found himself lingering in the doorway for a small while. With a deep sigh, he finally stepped out in the hall and made his way in the direction of the loud noises.</p><p>As Sykkuno walked down the hall, he could soon make out Rae’s hysterical screaming from the living room. The brunette raised an eyebrow, trying to mentally prepare himself for whatever could have possibly happened in the small time he was away.</p><p>The brunette’s face grew completely pale as he took a step into the living room. He stood frozen on the spot, a loud ‘Oh Jesus!’ escaping him. On the floor laid Toast on his back with a completely absent look in his eyes groaning miserably. Underneath Toast was the remains of Sykkuno’s coffee table that had been broken and scattered in a pile around the man.</p><p>On the couch was Rae who rested on her stomach, punching one of the couch pillows hysterically. She was facing Toast, laughing hysterically to the point that small tears had formed in her eyes and were now running down her cheeks.</p><p>Sykkuno stared wide-eyed at the sight in front of him and slammed a hand in front of his mouth, a series of mumbled breathy ‘Oh Jesus!’ leaving him. However, the more he was looking at the ridiculous scene in front of him, the more he couldn’t prevent a pair of giggles from running past his lips.</p><p>Oh, how he wishes Corpse could’ve been there to witness this so Sykkuno could get to hear that melodic laughter of his again…</p>
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